


The Rise of Rey (TROS Fix-It/Re-Write)

by Your1destiny



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Ben Solo Deserved Better, Ben Solo Lives, Canon Universe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Love, POV Ben Solo, POV Finn (Star Wars), POV Rey (Star Wars), Redeemed Ben Solo, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:13:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22163134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Your1destiny/pseuds/Your1destiny
Summary: The end of this battle is coming, Rey can feel it. Especially after she learns that Darth Sidious, the evil who corrupted Ben Solo’s grandfather still lives. Will she be able to win this fight? Can she bring balance to the Force? Can she convince Kylo Ren that Ben Solo lives, and that the Light she sees in him is more than an illusion?I’m re-writing TROS and changing all the parts I was left unsatisfied by...
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 7
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first Star Wars fic! While I didn’t hate TROS, I was disappointed by a lot of it. I’ll be re-writing it, adding some things, and changing others. Thanks for checking this out, and I hope you like what you read!!

Rey plunged her feet into the cool stream she was sitting at and sighed. After a long training session, relaxing in a secluded area of the jungle was just what she needed. She laid back on the ground, staring up at the tree branches stretching above her. She still found herself amazed at even just the smallest amount of green found on the leaves all around her. She closed her eyes, just listening to all the nature around her and thought about today’s training.

Leia had given her Luke’s old journals, in which he had written the things he had learned over the years. In particular, Leia wanted Rey to study a section on Force ghosts, and channeling the energy of Jedi passed. She wouldn’t tell Rey why it was so important for her to learn about this right now, but she had an idea. Rey had watched Leia closely in the year since her brother had become one with the Force. Leia was becoming more and more tired, and Rey worried that Leia wouldn’t be able to continue much longer. If Rey wasn’t finished being trained before Leia was gone, the only other person in the galaxy that could teach her was Kylo Ren.

_ No, his name is Ben. _ Rey thought. She was so conflicted about him. Their bond had not lessened since he had killed Snoke. If anything, it had gotten stronger. The bond had shown them each other quite often, and it wasn’t always at opportune moments. She had once appeared to him while he was in a training session with his Knights of Ren. She had gained a little pleasure at how seeing her had thrown him off. She couldn’t say if she liked that he then had to regain the upper hand in his training, or if it was because of something else. 

Sometimes when their bond connected them, they’d just sit in silence and it wasn’t wholly uncomfortable. Most of the time, however, they would talk. She had learned early on in these times that if she avoided mentioning Leia or Luke’s name, the conversation could almost qualify as pleasant. They would talk about her training, a ship she was repairing, or occasionally about her time on Jakku. Trying to ask him about his own childhood was like detonating a bomb on herself unless he brought it up first, and she didn’t want to know anything about his life as the Supreme Leader.

As she lay on the jungle floor, she felt a warmth come over her and the sound around her seemed to fade out and back in. The telltale signs that Ben was now there. She didn’t open her eyes, preferring to hold onto the silence for a moment longer. She couldn’t hear his footsteps, but she felt the space beside her shift and knew that he had sat down next to her. She opened one of her eyes and turned her head to look at him. He sat with his legs crossed and his back straight as a board, but he was looking down at her with a curious expression on his face. 

After the events on Crait, when their bond would connect them, Ben had only seemed to know anger. She suspected that he was quite angry at her for refusing to join him. She hadn’t entirely understood then. She had known almost nothing of his life before being trained by Luke. Leia had once confided in her the many regrets she had when it came to the way she had raised her only son. Rey could only imagine just how alone and unloved Ben must have felt his whole life.

It had all come to a head when Ben had appeared to her with his waves of white hot rage rolling off of him as usual. Rey had had an unsuccessful training day and dealing with his spite was not on her plan for the evening. She had screamed her apology at him, for not taking his hand, and told him that he couldn’t hold it over her head any longer. Her outburst had shocked him, she saw, but he disappeared before he could respond. After that, she mostly saw curiosity from him. 

“How was your training today?” Ben spoke first.

Rey closed her eye again and straightened her head. At least he didn’t seem to be frustrated today. The First Order officers must have done well to keep from angering him.

“Not entirely unsuccessful, but you know that physical training comes more easily to me than the mental training.” She replied.

“What were you trying to do?” 

She could hear the tension in his voice. He knew about Luke’s journals, and she had even shared them with him once before. Occasionally, he would share extra information with her. She briefly wondered if he tried to help in a way to eventually tempt her to join him once more. Rey banished the thought quickly. She still believed that Ben Solo would come to her. One day.

“There’s a section of the journals which details communicating with Force ghosts, and channeling their energy. Apparently, it is imperative that I learn this soon. I have no idea why, but it’s not working as of yet anyways.” Rey responded, letting some of her frustration come out in her voice.

Ben hummed in acknowledgement. “It seems that Force ghosts only appear when they want to.”

Rey opened her eyes and looked up at him again. “That’s right. You have tried to contact Vader in the past, haven’t you? It wasn’t successful either?”

“Yes, I tried. Every single day for years. It wasn’t successful when I reached out through the Force. I would hear his wisdom when he decided to share it though.” Ben revealed.

”You would hear it? In your head, then? Did he ever manifest himself to you?” Rey sat up, more curious now.

Ben cleared his throat. “No. He didn’t.”

“Do you still call to him?” Rey couldn’t help asking.

Sensing Ben’s discomfort, Rey moved on, knowing full well that the new topic could also cause issues. She watched the flowing stream in front of her.

”Anyways, the journal is pretty vague about it, so I don’t know how I can be expected to master something which I know nothing about and no one can tell me about either.” She rolled her eyes.

Ben gave a small, cruel smirk. “I could say that I should have warned you, but-“

”Yes, yes, I know. Luke was a disappointment, just as you told me he would be. Rather than trying to remedy his mistake, he let it fester by martyring himself on Ahch-to.” She mimicked Luke’s words to her. “‘It’s time for the Jedi to die.’” Rey scoffed. “If he hadn’t run from his problems, this entire thing might be different.”

Ben was silent in thought for a moment. “Rey, this may seem like a stretch, but-“ He paused. “It’s entirely possible that had he not been standing over me that night, you might not have ever left Jakku.”

”Are you saying that I should be grateful that he contemplated killing you? That he put the last nail in the coffin of your days in the Light?” Rey asked, shocked that he would imply such a thing.

Ben snorted. “When did you become so dramatic? All I’m saying, is that maybe things happen for a reason.”

Rey quieted at this. She wondered if that’s how he felt about their bond too. He had told her months ago that he was looking for how Snoke had created this metaphorical rope that tied them together. At the time, he had wanted to set said rope on fire, destroying their connection.

“Are you still searching for the source of  _ his  _ power?” She knew that he knew what she was really asking. She pulled her feet towards her body so that they could dry off before putting her boots back on.

“Yes. I’m getting close, I believe.” He paused, and Rey looked up at him. He stared at her for a long moment before continuing. “I don’t know what I will do when I find my answer, though.”

Rey didn’t respond, but she looked at the water once more. After a moment of silence, Ben spoke again.

“I know what you’ll say, but the offer still stands. I can teach you more than some hazy writings from an old hermit can. And we could find Snoke’s source together.” He sounded almost hopeful, yet she could sense his fear of rejection once more.

Rey hesitated before responding. “General Organa has been training me as well. I haven’t just been learning from the journals.”

Ben looked confused for a moment before sneering at her. “She has no true knowledge of the Force. She won’t be able to teach you everything you need to know. Eventually, you’ll ask for my help. One day, you’ll  _ ask _ me to teach you.”

And then he was gone. Rey dropped her head into her hands. Yes, Ben Solo confused her greatly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know these first few chapters are kind of short, but I promise they’ll get longer! This chapter starts off where the movie does! It mostly is just building up more of the Kylo Ren character, rather than changing what the movie did in this scene. Let me know what you think!
> 
> My plan is to update every Tuesday, but I wanted to add this next chapter now because they both were so short!

Kylo Ren picked up Vader’s wayfinder off of the pedestal it was sitting perfectly on. He was in Vader’s castle on Mustafar, now making his way back down to the entryway of the building. Kylo found it ironic that Darth Vader had chosen to build a castle on the very planet which he had become disfigured on. Had it been Kylo in that situation, he would have never returned to such a place. Maybe that was why he felt that he couldn’t compare to the Sith Lord.

Outside the door of the castle, Kylo was met with the stormtroopers he had left to alert him of any occurrence, as well as General Hux. The man had insisted on accompanying him on this mission, despite his obvious contempt to be in the same room as Kylo, let alone journeying on a smaller spacecraft to accomplish a mission. He stood tensely with his hands clasped behind his back, off to the side of the troopers.

Kylo walked out of the building and towards the sparse forest, where his ship sat on the other side. He heard the troopers and Hux follow him, and he could tell that Hux was about to make some remark. If he knew better, Hux would hold his tongue. However, it appeared he did not. 

Hux cleared his throat. “Supreme Leader, have you finally found whatever it is you’ve been looking for?” His voice barely hid the deep disdain it carried.

“The wayfinder we have just retrieved will take me exactly where I need to go. I will be leaving immediately upon returning to the _Steadfast,_ and there will be a briefing once I return.”

As they entered the forest, a group of Mustafarian natives began charging towards them from different directions. Kylo estimated at least two dozen making their way towards them. He handed the wayfinder to Hux, who was a step behind him to his right.

Kylo spoke to Hux. “You are to return to the ship as soon as you have an opening. Do not lose the wayfinder.”

“Yes, Supreme Leader.” Hux responded, moving ahead of Kylo with speed. 

Kylo commanded the troopers to escort Hux to the ship. “I will handle this and be there shortly.”

Unclipping his lightsaber from his belt, he ignited it into the chest of one of the natives that had reached him. He heard the two stormtroopers and Hux firing their blasters ahead of him, however he saw the majority of the blaster bolts miss and the rest were not fatal shots. He rolled his eyes, cursing the bad aim of every stormtrooper who ever existed. He let his thoughts wander as he took down the men.

Kylo knew he had plenty of pent up rage that could be worked off. He always had anger. The only time he seemed to be anything other than enraged was when he was connected with Rey. Even that had not been enough at first however. He was furious that she could be so loyal to the Resistance, that she would turn down his offers over again and over again. He suspected that the scavenger had unknowingly shared some of her energy with him, allowing him to be put more at ease in her presence.

When he had realized she was using the Light Side of the Force on him, even without her own knowledge, he had insisted on breaking the bond. He did not need Rey to still be convinced that he could return from the Dark Side. He needed her to realize that the only way she could truly be happy was with the Dark Side. With him.

He could not deny the pull he felt towards her. In his own head anyways. He knew that Hux suspected his real motives in this mission were somehow related to the scavenger, but he could truly care less what the infuriating general thought. The only reason the man still lived was due to his tactical and strategic prowess.

Now, he cared more about finding out how Snoke connected them in the first place. For this bond to only be getting stronger after Snoke died, Kylo was skeptical that it had been by his hand. Kylo was, dare he think it, desperate to know the truth about his bond with Rey and what it truly meant.

He thought back to their last encounter through the bond. Rey’s gentle probing about his connection with Darth Vader had surprised him. He knew that she was still cautious with him, trying to avoid his ire. Should she find out that he had grown so accustomed to her that he could no longer be any more than frustrated with her, she would pelt him with questions in a heartbeat.

He hadn’t answered her question about calling to the Sith Lord. He had wanted to tell her that he no longer _wanted_ to hear Vader’s voice. And it was perfectly fine with him that he had not heard the deep tone and modulated breathing of his grandfather in over a year now. He was more conflicted than he had ever been, thanks to Rey of Jakku. But he couldn’t tell her that. He couldn’t give her _hope_.

There were six last natives running towards him, all slightly behind each other. He charged towards them as well. Swinging his lightsaber upwards, he sliced through the neck of the first enemy. Following the momentum of his swing, he spun and sliced downwards to cut down the next.

The next person had gotten close enough to try and grab him, but Kylo twisted the man around and sliced his arm off. Thrusting the man away from him, Kylo sliced his saber down across the man’s chest. Charging forward, he used his saber to block the blaster bolts of the next native charging him. He flipped his saber backwards in his hand and thrust his fist up into the chest of the native, sending him upwards, before pushing him to the ground harshly. He raised his fist upwards, and plunged his saber down into the man.

Kylo pulled the saber upwards, turning backwards to quickly scan the area for any others, before driving his saber backwards into yet another native charging him. The last enemy shot bolts towards him with his blaster bow, but Kylo easily blocked these and sliced the man in half.

Kylo stood still now that all threats had been dealt with. He breathed heavily, looking around him at the bodies that now littered the forest floor. He briefly wondered what Rey would think if she ever learned that he had killed an entire cult that was loyal to the man he once prayed to daily. Would she be disgusted at the death he had wrought? Or would she see this as some twisted step back into the Light? No, she couldn’t find out.

Telling her might give her too much hope.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s chapter 3! This chapter is not much different from the one in the movie, to be honest. But I’m hoping to get the next chapter (which starts to change directions a bit) posted in the next day or two. Catch a sneak peak in the notes at the end of this chapter!

Kylo landed his TIE fighter on the barren planet called Exegol. It had been difficult enough just to find the name of the system he was traveling to, let alone anything about it. As far as he could tell, it was home to a long forgotten Sith temple. Not far in front of him, he could see an inverted pyramid of black stone hovering just above the ground.

Kylo approached the point of the pyramid, stopping a ways away when he noticed a distinct square carved into the ground. It was too perfect, especially in comparison to the deep fissures that stretched for miles scattered across the surface of the planet. Placing a cautionary hand on his saber at his belt, he stepped onto the square. 

Walking towards the center, perfectly underneath the point of the pyramid, he paused. The square of land seemed to shudder, before it began to sink. Kylo braced himself, unclipping his saber. The land descended hundreds of feet below the ground, passing the jagged rocks and crevices that made up the planet. As it moved lower, Kylo could see that he was in an entryway of some sort. At the end of this hallway was an opening into another room. Using the Force, he could tell that he was alone in this space, but there was something quite dark and sinister waiting just beyond the entrance of the next room.

Kylo stepped off of the platform, igniting his saber to give some more light in the mostly dark room. The ground looked like the same black stone that made up the pyramid which was now so much farther above him. There were statues lining the sides of the hallway, hooded figures which sat on their stone chairs and still towered far above him. 

Kylo made his presence as stealthy as possible, besides the light of his saber. His footsteps were inaudible. He kept his breathing slow and quiet, despite the fact that he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Kylo briefly wondered if it was possible to send emotions through his bond with Rey. Would she be able to feel his racing heart if he sent it to her now?

As he reached the end of the hallway, he noticed a dim light that still managed to illuminate a large amount of the next room. He saw many shapes that he couldn’t define, but none of them had moved so far. Stepping into the room, he noticed that this one was quite large as well. Looking up, he found the moon shining down upon him from one of the large, deep cracks on the surface of Exegol. 

There was a railing to his right and the space seemed to open up into a more natural cave-like space. Kylo slowly moved to the railing to get a better look. He looked over the edge and upon seeing what really lay beyond the railing, stumbled backwards. It was actually a coliseum-type space, with row upon row of curved rows of seating. And every single seat was filled with figures in deep hooded cloaks.

He quickly turned around to examine the rest of the space, holding his light saber up in front of him. Kylo saw a shadow of movement about twenty feet in front of him, and he moved towards it cautiously. Whatever held such a massive amount of the Dark Side of the Force within it was straight ahead of him. The darkness of it felt like a thick, cold blanket around him. A blanket which only seemed to be getting thicker as he got closer, it was almost suffocating.

Kylo saw a throne to his left, made of the same solid black stone as everything else on this planet. But that’s not what held his attention. The thing which radiated so much darkness was now a foot in front of him, and honestly his reaction was one of disgust. For in front of him, strapped to a vertical bed, was a humanoid creature. Kylo couldn’t be certain he was human, because his face was so wrinkled and deformed and his skin was such a shade of gray that didn’t seem possible for any living human. His voice was gave Kylo an uncomfortable, shivering feeling.

“At last… Snoke trained you well.” The man said. 

His mouth barely seemed to move, but Kylo supposed that with how much power was emanating off him that he could bend the air around them to speak anyways. Kylo sneered at him, and moved the tip of his saber a mere couple inches from the face of the decrepit creature.

“I killed Snoke. I’ll kill you too.” Kylo replied.

The man gave a breathy chuckle. “My boy… I trained Snoke.” He paused. And when he spoke next, his voice changed every few words. “I have been every voice—“ His voice changed to sound like Snoke’s. “—you have ever heard—“ Here his voice now mutated to the mechanical sound of Darth Vader’s voice in his mask. “—inside your head.”

Kylo felt his heart plummet to his stomach. What did this mean? Was it all a lie? Is this why his grandfather never responded to his prayers? Because he was never actually providing wisdom in the first place? It was all this creature, manipulating him, for as long as he could remember? Since he was a child?

“Who are you?!” Kylo growled at the creature.

“I am Emperor Palpatine, my boy. However, I once also went by the moniker of Darth Sidious.” The man responded.

“Impossible.” Kylo sneered. “Darth Sidious was killed over thirty years ago by my grandfather.”

“Ah, yes. You’ll find that there are many people still loyal to the ways of the Sith. The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be… unnatural. One can even bring someone back from the dead. My followers have used these forces to resurrect me, to continue the reign of the Sith over the galaxy.” As the Sith Lord spoke, Kylo noticed a couple of the hooded figures adjusting medical wires and machinery nearby. “Now. I have a task for you, my boy.”

“Why would I do anything for you?” Kylo shot back at him.

“Because of what I can give you.” Sidious replied vaguely.

“And what exactly is that?” Kylo responded. He was becoming exasperated with the Sith Lord’s unclear words.

“Everything, my boy.” 

As Sidious said this, Kylo felt the ground tremble as though there was an earthquake. He looked up to the night sky coming through the fissure. He saw what looked to be a fleet of ships rising into the cloudy sky.

“What you see is my fleet of Star Destroyers. With them, you can control the galaxy. Destroy any planet which houses those that defy your will. I will teach you the ways of the Sith, and you shall be the next Emperor.” Sidious explained.

Kylo narrowed his eyes at the man. “And what is it you want from me?”

“You will bring me the scavenger girl, alive. The one from Jakku. Rey.”

Warning bells suddenly went off in Kylo’s head. What would he want with her? What would he do _to_ her?

“She is not who you think.” Sidious replied, and Kylo would have worried that Sidious had looked into his mind had he not been able to feel his own barriers. “She is of the Palpatine line, my line. She is my granddaughter.”

Kylo could only blink as he processed this information. This couldn’t possibly be true. He had seen who her parents were, they were nobodies. Palpatine had to have had a massive amount of money stored somewhere that his own child would never live in such squalor as Kylo had seen.

“Ah, you don’t believe me. Her parents thought they could hide her from me. However, they could not conceal her forever. You will bring her to me. Alive.” Palpatine commanded again.

“She will not come easily. And not with me.” Kylo revealed, picturing his hand outstretched to her once more.

Palpatine gave a dry, raspy chuckle. “I expect that she is more willing to join you than you believe. You need only offer the thing she desires the most. That will be all the temptation she needs. Now, go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 Sneak Peak:
> 
> “If he couldn’t reach out to the Force ghosts successfully after years of training, how can I, someone with barely a year of it, possibly expect to?” Rey asked, a couple tears suddenly falling from her eyes.
> 
> Leia raised an eyebrow, and gave Rey a small smile. “He who, Rey?”
> 
> Rey gulped in anticipation. “Ben.” Rey paused, confused at Leia’s expression. “Did you know?”
> 
> “Do you remember the first time you tried the training course? How you had such a difficult time, and then left to meditate after? I was just about to go inside when I heard you yelling. I found you yelling at nothing, and stayed back to see who else was out there with us. But no one else showed themselves. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the despair I heard in your voice when you told Ben you were sorry.” Leia answered somberly.


	4. Chapter 4

Rey closed her eyes again, trying to focus. She was just on the edge of the jungle, within shouting distance of the Resistance base if they called for her. There was a large, smooth rock here where she preferred to meditate. After living on such a dry, sandy planet for all her life, she would stay outside all day on this one if she could get away with it.

She straightened her posture, returning her thoughts to the task at hand. Leia had insisted she try once more to commune with any of the Jedi who came before her. She had been trying for well over an hour at this point, and was now trying not to lose her patience.

Rey took a deep breath. “Be with me.” She repeated this over and over, pleading with the Force to let her finally succeed and forge this connection. “Be with me.” She could feel the Force all around her, _in_ everything around her. As she focused on this, she could feel the ever-so slight vibrations of the energy shifting around her. She dared to have a little hope that it was working. “Be with me.”

The vibrations came to a sudden halt. Releasing a small growl of frustration, Rey relaxed.

“They’re not with me.”

She quickly stood up, dusting herself off and turning back towards the base. She saw Leia standing near the entrance, watching her with a somber expression on her face. Rey approached her, sighing when she came to a stop in front of the general.

“You must be patient, Rey. You’ll get this.” Leia told her, putting her hands on Rey’s shoulders in comfort.

Rey looked down, not wanting to look Leia in the eyes. “At this point, it seems impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible.” Leia responded cryptically.

Rey pursed her lips in frustration at Leia’s vague remark. “I don’t understand why I have to spend so much of my training on this, anyways. Aren’t there other, more important things I should be learning?” She finally flicked her eyes up to meet Leia’s.

“I’m sure that there are a great number of things which would be entirely more beneficial for you to be learning right now. But this is a skill I need you to master, before—“ Leia cut herself off.

“Before you’re gone?” Rey finished for her, feeling her heart drop at the thought of Leia not being around anymore.

“I can feel it, Rey. My time here is coming to an end. And before it does, there are two things that I must accomplish. One of them being that I cannot leave you without the ability to find answers. Sometimes, an old dusty book, even one written by my brother, cannot possibly hold all which you seek nor can it have the whole truth.” Leia explained, giving Rey an imploring look to understand.

Rey shivered at this. Leia’s words were eerily similar to Ben’s. Did she know about the bond? Did Leia know that she sees and talks with her lost son on an almost regular basis? Should she tell her? Knowing that they may not have this moment again, Rey makes a decision.

“Leia… you should know. My frustration doesn’t just come from my failed attempts at this connection.” She hesitated.

Rey could feel her cheeks heating slightly. She looked away from Leia and took a step back, letting Leia’s arms fall from her shoulders. Clearing her throat again, she looked back up at Leia.

“If _he_ couldn’t reach out to the Force ghosts successfully after years of training, how can I, someone with barely a year of it, possibly expect to?” Rey asked, a couple tears suddenly falling from her eyes.

Leia raised an eyebrow, and gave Rey a small smile. “He who, Rey?”

Rey gulped in anticipation. “Ben.” Rey paused, confused at Leia’s expression. “Did you know?”

“Do you remember the first time you tried the training course? How you had such a difficult time, and then left to meditate after? I was just about to go inside when I heard you yelling. I found you yelling at nothing, and stayed back to see who else was out there with us. But no one else showed themselves. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the despair I heard in your voice when you told Ben you were sorry.” Leia answered somberly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” Rey looked away again.

“Don’t be. Seeing that is what led me to have you start this training. But how do you see him this way? If it was just through the Force, you’d be completely drained at the very least.” Leia asked.

“When I got to Ahch-to, I suddenly started seeing Ben. He told me then that Luke had tried to kill him at the Jedi temple.” She paused. “Last year, on the _Supremacy_ , Snoke told us that he had forged the bond between us. But when he died, the bond didn’t end. It actually seems to be getting stronger. Last I knew, Ben was trying to find the real cause of our bond.” Rey left out the part that he originally decided to find the source so that he could snuff it out. She wasn’t sure what he wanted anymore. And it seems, neither does he.

“Do you believe that he can be saved, Rey? Can you save him?” Leia sounded hopeful.

Rey grabbed Leia’s hands and held them close to her chest, looking at her. “I do, I really do believe that he could return to the Light. But the only one that can save him is himself, Leia. He has to _choose_ to come back. I can only give him the opportunity to do so, and hope that he accepts my help one day.”

Leia smiled at Rey, her eyes filling with tears. “That sounds like something Luke would say. Are you sure you haven’t been speaking with him too?”

Rey laughed and released Leia’s hands. “I’m going to go run the training course. Maybe work off some of this pent up frustration.”

Leia nodded. “Take BB-8 with you. He needs something to do while Poe and Finn are gone to meet the First Order informant. And it will give this old woman peace of mind that you’re not out here by yourself.”

“Should I need any help, I would hope BB-8 could get back here in time to get me some.” Rey mused out loud.

Leia just smiled again. “Never underestimate a droid.”

As Leia turned to go inside, Rey stopped her. “Leia? What was the other thing you need to do? You said there were two things?”

Leia smiled sadly at her. “I need to make sure that my son knows that I love him.”

* * *

After finding and collecting BB-8, Rey and the droid travelled to the training course. Once the Resistance had set up base on this planet, and gotten everything sorted and comfortable, Leia had this course set up. While it was mostly for Rey, some of the other fighters would occasionally set up targets and run the course with their blasters as well. She knew it would be empty now, though, since so many Resistance fighters were off on scouting missions.

For Rey, this was a good way for her to practice the combination of physically fighting with the addition of the Force to help her gain the edge over whoever she was fighting. In theory, anyways. She had done some training with Poe and other Resistance members, but they were wary about her abilities with the Force. They would only train with her if she only used her hands or her staff. Mostly, she would use a small training droid and a shielded helmet to help her become attuned to the Force and her own senses. After training on the same course for so long and becoming accustomed to its pathways, she had started setting the training droid to a harder level.

“Alright, BB-8. I think we’re going to go for _extreme_ training today.” Rey said to the droid unit after turning on the training droid and putting on the helmet.

The droid beeped back in agreement.

Rey took a deep breath and ignited her saber just as she sensed that the droid was about to send a blast her way. She deflected easily, and began to move the trail of the course, allowing the Force to tell her where to step and dodge. At this point, she felt as though she could tell the exact location of each rotted tree root or low-hanging branch that she might run into even without using the Force.

She needed to be learning something new, she felt. But she couldn’t even grasp this concept of the Force ghosts. What was she doing wrong? Why wouldn’t Luke, or _anyone_ really, just say something to her? One little thing, and she could finally move on from this lesson. She felt her pulse quicken with her rising temper. If Vader wouldn’t speak with Ben, why would anyone speak with her? Maybe it didn’t have anything to do with how long you’d been training with and using the Force?

What might have happened if Vader _had_ appeared to Ben? Recalling the legends she had heard of the _Great Luke Skywalker_ when she had been on Jakku, there was a rumor that Darth Vader had redeemed himself in his final moments of life. She couldn’t be certain how true that was, however, seeing as all of the people on the Death Star that day were now dead. And one of them, possibly two, _wouldn’t even talk to her._ She had heard that his name was once Anakin Skywalker. It was a foreign name to her, and not much was known about him. At least, not to the general public. Maybe she should ask Leia, or, if the opportunity presented itself, she could ask Ben.

Rey deflected a bolt from the droid, but tripped a second later on a root. She was getting too lost in her own thoughts and not focusing on the droid. She felt another bolt from the droid graze her arm, just below the scar she had to constantly remind her of the events on the _Supremacy._ Letting out a quiet growl, Rey stood back up and continued on the training path aggressively. She couldn’t help how angry she was getting, despite knowing how erratic it was making her in this moment. She couldn’t stop her thoughts from wandering back to Ben though.

Ben said that he had received wisdom from Vader, but it was never when Ben had actually been asking for it. It came when _Vader_ wanted to say something. That struck Rey as odd. Why would a Force ghost of a Sith Lord care about someone else, but only enough to speak with Ben when _he_ felt like it? Had Vader never actually appeared to Ben because Vader no longer existed, and was reverted back to the Anakin Skywalker from before his days as a Sith Lord? Maybe the wisdom Ben received was not a Force ghost version of Vader, but something of a memory of him? If Ben had reached out to Anakin, would he have answered? Could this all have been prevented if Anakin, a user of the Light side, had come to him and guided him? She knew how alone he had felt, for so _long_. Maybe if someone had just answered his cry for help, he wouldn’t be where he is now.

This reminded her of Ben’s words from the other day, about possibly never leaving Jakku. She would never have had a reason to leave the planet, had he not been looking for BB-8. Could she say that it had been good that she left Jakku, that she was happier now? Rey supposed that it could be worse. As much as she had hated him in that moment, Ben had forced her to accept what she already knew about herself, about her parents. She’d still be ignoring that truth, and waiting for them to come back for her otherwise.

She’d found a family in Leia and Han, Finn and Rose, Chewie and Poe. But Ben had killed Han. And her feelings about Ben were so complicated. She could go from loathing his existence, to being uncertain, and even further to an emotion she couldn’t name. It wasn’t something she could say she had experienced before. A warmth that seemed to spread all throughout her body that would also make her giddy and excited.

As Rey thought of this, she felt the telling signs that her bond with Ben had connected them. She refused to turn and look at where she could tell he was standing. She did _not_ want him watching her train right now. She was too unhinged and she could feel her energy draining. She was honestly just done with this day. Rey knew what he would say to her too. He’d tell her all the things she was doing wrong, but not how to fix them. She figured it was his way of taunting her for the very first time he offered a part of himself to her.

_You need a teacher! I can show you the ways of the Force!_

The memory of his words came to her. She could concede it to herself, that yes, she did need a teacher. But she didn’t believe that he was ready for a student. And definitely not ready for _her_ to be his student. She didn’t _want_ the Dark side, and he abhorred the Light. Maybe that was too strong of a thought. He didn’t seem to hate it as much as he had before, but he was nowhere near returning to it as of yet.

As she deflected yet another blast, she suddenly felt another strong spur of anger. She whirled her saber all around her, and realized too late her mistake. She felt the slight tension of the sword making contact and passing through something. As she lifted the helmet off her head, she watched a tree come crashing down onto BB-8. He beeped in alarm.

“BB-8!” She cried out, running to the little droid now being held down under the tree. 

She felt the Force cut her connection off with Ben once more, and she focused long enough to shift the tree off of BB-8. Taking in the damage done, she saw that the worst was that one of the orange panels covering a ventilations system was damaged beyond repair. She pulled it off, promising the droid she’d get it replaced. That was the least of her worries, however, because she knew that Poe would kill her as soon as he saw his beloved droid.


	5. Chapter 5

Poe and Finn were sitting at a booth in a dingy bar on Subterrel, waiting for their informant to show up. Poe was holding a glass of some kind of liquor, while Finn was attempting to analyze the customers throughout the bar discreetly. He heard Poe sigh and looked back to him.

“Would you relax? You’re gonna make us look suspicious.” Poe said, keeping his voice hushed. “Have a drink or something.” He offered his glass to Finn.

Finn waved him off. “No, thank you. I don’t need to confirm that I’m a lightweight while we’re on a mission. An _important_ mission.”

“Hey, I know this is important!” Poe exclaimed, his volume rising a little.

Finn shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. I just meant that if _I_ drink anything, it could mess something up. You’ve built up a tolerance, where I haven’t had a drink a day in my life.”

Poe relaxed again. “Oh. Well, we’ll have to work on that at a later date.” He smirked at Finn.

Finn felt his cheeks heat up. He was not an expert in any sense of the word, but sometimes he could swear that Poe was flirting with him. It made him nervous. He didn’t know what to make of it, and he certainly didn’t know where his own feelings were on the matter. Plus, he’d have to consider everything to do with Rose as well. She had kissed him, given him his first. But everything was just so complicated. And, honestly, not important right now. They were at _war_. There wasn’t time to think about things like _romance._

Finn cleared his throat. “Where is Boolio, anyways? Wasn’t he supposed to be here already?”

“Yeah, but we’re fine here for a little longer. Maybe something came up. If he’s not here in another fifteen, we’ll head back.” Poe responded, taking a sip of his drink.

Finn nodded and returned to his people watching, trying to be more discreet about it. They were silent for a few moments, and then the door to the bar suddenly flew open. Boolio stepped through the doorway, looking around frantically, although he seemed to be trying to rein himself in. Once he caught sight of Poe and Finn, he walked towards them quickly. He sat down at their booth, but didn’t say anything at first. Once he was satisfied that they people around them had gone back to their own business, he spoke.

“So, you got something for us, Boolio?” Finn asked.

Boolio leaned in towards them and whispered. “There’s a spy in the First Order. I’ve got a file for you. You brought an astro droid?”

“Yeah. R2’s back at the _Falcon_. Let’s head over now. Who’s the spy?” Poe asked, standing up.

“No clue. We need to hurry though. I was being tailed on my way here. Thought I lost ‘em, but can’t be certain.” Boolio responded, his eyes flitting all over the room.

“Why didn’t you lead with that?!” Finn asked, feeling panic start to settle in on him. “Let’s go!”

Finn walked briskly to the door, Boolio and Poe following close behind. They exited the bar. Thankfully it was night, so it would be harder to be seen. But that also meant it was harder to see if anyone was headed their way. The docking station where they had the _Falcon_ was just ahead, and they made it there with no problems. Boarding the ship, they found R2 and Chewie waiting for them. Boolio pulled a file out of his pocket, and walked towards the droid. Chewie greeted him and Boolio nodded back.

“This was left on my desk. With a note saying it was information for the Resistance. I haven’t looked at it. But we’ll load it to this R2 unit and you can be on your way.” Boolio gave the drive to the droid.

“How do you know it came from a spy in the First Order?” Poe asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“There were First Order troops on Sinta. Not sure what they were looking for, but they did their searching and left. The drive didn’t show up until after they got there, and the note said it was from a spy in the First Order. Hope there’s something useful on it for you.”

“And you said you were being tailed?” Poe asked with concern.

“Yeah. Followed me after I exited lightspeed. But I took the scenic route to lose them. I should be off though. And you should, too. Get that to Leia.” Boolio headed for the exit of the _Falcon._ “Safe travels.”

As soon as he was out of sight, Poe, Chewie, and Finn moved to the front of the ship and prepared to leave. Boolio waved his goodbye once more from the docking station as the _Falcon_ lifted off the ground. They watched as two stormtroopers suddenly came out from the shadows, grabbing Boolio and dragging him off.

“No!” Finn shouted, trying to see what was happening.

“We can’t go back. This has to be important intel if the First Order is already aware that it’s been leaked. We have to hope that he’ll get his way out. He wouldn’t want us to risk losing this information.” Poe said, as he sped up their departure.

Finn nodded his solemn agreement. Just as they were leaving the atmosphere of Subterrel, the _Falcon_ was suddenly struck by something from behind them. Finn ran to the gunner bay, and saw that there were dozens of First Order fighters coming towards them. He aimed the gun at the closest fighter and watched as it exploded from his well-aimed shot.

“Hurry it up, Poe! They’re gaining!” Finn said, shooting towards the next closest one.

“I’m working on it!” Poe shouted back. “I’m going to have to lightspeed skip!” Poe began flipping the necessary switches to prepare for hyperspeed.

“Um, won’t that kill us?!” Finn shouted back, still trying to take out some of the encroaching TIE fighters.

Chewie gave an indignant roar towards Poe.

“Yeah, yeah. I know it could cause a lot of problems, but do you see another solution?!” Poe exclaimed back.

“Here we go!” Poe said to no one in particular as he made the jump.

* * *

As they came into the atmosphere of Ajan Kloss, Poe was distinctly aware that a significant part of the exterior of the _Falcon_ was on fire. It didn’t help that an angry Wookiee was sitting next to him and not letting him forget it. He landed the ship at the Resistance base, noticing the group of people coming out to help put the fire out and assess damage. As they walked off the ship, Rey came running up to them.

“Poe! What did you do to the _Falcon?!_ ” She shouted at him angrily.

“I-“ Poe froze as he saw BB-8 rolling close behind her. “What did _you_ do to my droid?!”

* * *

As soon as Poe brought R2 to Leia, she called for a meeting. Now a large group of people sat in the conference room of the base. Leia sat at the head of the oval table. Poe and Rey sat to each side of her, with Finn, Chewie, and Rose sitting on Poe’s side as well. The rest of the seats were filled with the other generals and leaders of the Resistance. Everyone was speaking to the people next to them in hushed tones, waiting for Leia to call the meeting to order.

Poe and Rey had not resolved their earlier outbursts and kept sending glares at each other. Rey knew he wasn’t _truly_ upset with her, he was just very protective of his droid. And she wasn’t exactly furious with him either. She did have very strong feelings about that ship though. Rey may have only known Han Solo for a few days, but it hadn’t taken much for him to become important to her. Not to mention, the _Falcon_ was like a home to her. It had _finally_ gotten her off of that kriffing planet, even if she had initially wanted to return to it. Something was still missing from this home she was searching for though, and she couldn’t bear losing another piece of it.

Leia cleared her throat. “Alright. We all know why we’re here. A Resistance supporter, who won’t be named at this time, reached out to us saying that they had intel on the First Order. Poe, Finn, and Chewie travelled to the other end of the Outer Rim to retrieve this intel. R2, would you play the transmission?”

R2 beeped in affirmative, before playing the transmission. It was just an audio clip, and the voice was distorted into an excessively deep tone. Rey was positive that it was a man, even with the distortion.

“Hello. I am a high ranking member of the First Order, providing you with information on the recent actions of this organization. For my own safety, of course, I will not reveal my identity. I also recognize that you have nothing to prove my honesty. However, this information does not lead you towards any sort of entrapment, and only provides you with knowledge of a new threat to the galaxy. Supreme Leader Kylo Ren has just returned from a previously unknown planet called Exegol. On this planet, Ren found Emperor Palpatine has somehow been resurrected.”

The voice paused here, which seemed highly appropriate since all the oldest members of the group gasped loudly. While the younger generation had heard of the Emperor and his ways of the Sith, they hadn’t experienced it first hand. They did not have the same terror that those who had been alive during his reign did. The voice continued.

“He has offered Ren a large fleet of Star Destroyers in exchange for delivering the Jedi Rey of Jakku to him on this planet.”

Here, he paused once more. Everyone in the room turned to look at Rey, and she could feel her cheeks warm as she looked firmly down at the table. She was beginning to think this spy must have some kind of flair for dramatics. He was certainly taking his time to provide them everything he had to share.

“There was a large number of Sith Loyalists on this planet. Ren has suggested that these Loyalists combined their Force energy to resurrect Palpatine. However, he is still very weak, and an assortment of machines were attached to him. Ren has assigned a number of people to look into old Sith texts on such a thing. For the time being, I do believe that he intends to capture the scavenger girl.

The last bit of information I have for you is that you will not find Exegol on any map or navigational system. Ren acquired a wayfinder which led him to this planet. There are rumors that another exists, however I have no information on where that may be. I do not believe that I will be able to contact you again, whether you trust my information or not. Good luck.” The transmission ended abruptly.

As soon as the voice had said the word wayfinder, Rey was at attention. She recognized the word, and was trying hard to recall where she had come across the word before. Everyone else, was looking at Leia, who seemed shell shocked at this news. They stayed silent, waiting for their General to address them, but she didn’t look as though she was even paying attention anymore. A commander beside Rey spoke up.

“General, how do we even know if this is true?”

“Well-“ Leia began, but Rey suddenly stood up as she recalled something. “Rey, are you alright?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ve just remembered something from Luke’s journals. It may help. I’ll be right back.” And she exited the room quickly.

Rey hurried across the base to her room. She had left the journals on her table, and had been rifling through one of his last ones just the other day. She picked up the book that was opened to a random page and started flipping through it quickly. She had to backtrack when she realized she had gone right past the page at first. Skimming it, she let out a proud puff of air and scrambled to get back to the conference room quickly. She walked quickly through the door, still looking at the pages of the book. She hadn’t even noticed that people had been shouting questions at Leia, and had looked up at her and frozen immediately. She walked straight to Leia.

“Luke was looking for a wayfinder. He wanted to find out what the Sith had been hiding and destroy it. He says he believed it would lead him to a hidden Sith temple. He had felt a dark presence in the Force, but he couldn’t locate it. His search went cold on a planet called Pasaana. I have to go there. Maybe I can find something he missed.” She said, showing Leia the journal.

Leia opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Poe standing up abruptly. “Absolutely not! Didn’t you hear Tall, Dark, and Mysterious? Kylo Ren is looking for you. If you leave the base, he could capture you!” He shouted at her.

“He could try.” Rey bit back darkly, narrowing her eyes. “And you can’t stop me from going, if I want to.”

Poe took a step back and gave Rey a look of shock and fear. “Woah there, girl. I didn’t mean you wouldn’t go down fighting if it came to it.” He gulped. “I only meant that you’re safe _here_. Even if you _are_ our best fighter. But that’s why we can’t lose you!”

“ _Or_ Kylo could discover our base and everyone _here_ would be in danger. This is the best lead we have now. It makes sense to me that a Force sensitive would need to find the wayfinder, it’s a _Sith_ object!” Rey fumed.

“I-“ Poe began to argue more, but Leia interjected.

“What do the rest of you think?” She asked, looking to the other officials in the room. “It might be rash to take action so quickly after this news, but we don’t know how much time we have. Following Luke’s trail may be exactly what we need. I agree that Rey should go to Pasaana.”

Poe sputtered, but the officials on the other side of the table all murmured their assent to the general’s plans.

“Fine! But I’m going too!”

Rey rolled her eyes.

“Me too!” Finn said, standing up.

Chewie mewled a similar sentiment.

“Anyone else?” Leia asked, looking at the group. “Rose? You could be useful on this team as well.”

Rose gave Leia a look of awe. “Really? You- you want me to go, too?”

Leia smiled at Rose. “Of course. You’ve trained for this, and you’re good at it. Not to mention, Poe may need your optimism.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Rose beamed at Leia.

“You should also take a droid. I doubt any of you speak Aki-Aki, and who knows where you may have to go after that. You’ll take C-3P0.” Leia closed the book and slid it back towards Rey.

Poe groaned. “Not 3P0.” He muttered. “Dumb droid never knows when to shut up.”

“You all should start preparing to leave. You should go as soon as the _Falcon_ is repaired. Everyone is dismissed.” They all began standing and shuffling out the door. “Except you, Poe. I’d like a word.”

Poe gulped in anticipation and sat back down. Rose’s excitement was barely contained, and she immediately said her goodbye to Rey and Finn and left to pack her things. Rey and Finn made their way towards their rooms with less vigor. Once they were alone in the hallway, Finn spoke.

“Rey, are you okay?” He asked, glancing at her.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, you seemed really angry in there. Like, I get it, Poe should know better than trying to tell you that you need to just sit around. But you definitely scared me for a second there. Just, like, the tone of your voice gave me chills. And not the good kind.” Finn responded, gulping nervously.

“I did? I mean, I knew I was angry. But I hadn’t thought I was _that_ angry. That explains the look Poe gave me a little more though, I suppose. Sorry, Finn.”

“Hey, you don’t have to apologize to me! And you _definitely_ don’t need to apologize to Poe, either. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Finn shrugged. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

They stopped outside Finn’s door. “Anyways, I’ll see you at dinner! I doubt the _Falcon_ will be ready tonight, Poe really did some damage.” He chuckled, and walked into his room.

Rey continued the walk to hers, just a few more doors down. She hadn’t realized she had been any angrier than when she gets frustrated fixing things. Rey was suddenly nervous. Anger led to the Dark Side, right? She needed to control her emotions more, apparently. Then again, Finn got spooked by the simplest of things, maybe he was exaggerating? As Rey walked into her room and closed the door behind her, her thoughts drifted to Ben. As usual, honestly.

She wondered if he knew how angry he got. Did he really _know_? Or did he think he had merely gotten a little frustrated, the way she had? What she really wanted was to ask him about Palpatine. Could what the spy said really all be true? This was one of the moments she wished she could open their bond and connect it herself. They had tried before, however, and hadn’t been successful. Just as she was thinking this, she felt the Force shift. Maybe she had learned how to control it now after all? She looked up and saw Ben standing in the middle of her room. He took her in for a moment before speaking.

“What happened?” He asked her?

“What do you mean? Nothing happened.” Rey replied, confused by his question.

“You’re obviously upset. Maybe you and the traitor had an argument?” Ben asked, peering at her.

Rey rolled her eyes at his suggestion about Finn, but didn’t say anything. But her mind did flash back to Poe’s comments during the meeting, and the sight of the _Falcon_ landing at their base.

“Ah. The pilot thinks he can tell you what to do. And you don’t like that.” Ben smirked.

Rey couldn’t help it, her heart beat quickening. She had always loved his smirk, even when she wanted to slap it off his smug face. Like she did right now.

“Stay out of my head.” She growled.

Ben sighed and sat down at her table. Most likely mimicking a table in his own quarters. “You’re projecting. And your emotions are all over the place. The room is suffocating with the weight of them. Reign them in.” He said matter-of-factly.

Rey wanted to be mad at his tone. She was so tired of people talking to her like she didn’t know anything. But she knew that Ben hadn’t meant it that way, and, truly, neither did Poe. She closed her eyes and took some slow, deep breaths. She willed herself to calm down. She opened her eyes once more and noticed that Ben was watching her. She moved to her bed and sat on it, her back leaning against the wall.

“There. Now I can barely tell what you’re feeling. And I have no idea what you’re thinking. So why don’t you tell me? I saw what you were feeling when he spoke to you, but I have no idea what it was about? And I saw the flaming pile of junk. Is it too much for me to think it may be out of commission?” Ben said to her.

Rey chuckled a bit. “Yes. It’s getting repairs now, sorry to have to tell you.”

Ben shook his head. “I don’t understand your attachment to that thing.”

“That’s alright. As long as you acknowledge the attachment is there, I don’t think you have to.” She gave him a smile. Rey sighed, sobering again. “I’ve got a new mission. Poe doesn’t want me to go. I think he’s stuck between trying to protect me, probably because I’m a _girl_ ,” Rey growled out before continuing. “And wanting to save me for some epic ‘final battle’ of some sort.” She rolled her eyes.

“I see. Well, are you going on this mission?” Ben asked.

Rey nodded at him.

“Then it sounds like you won in the end. Is that really the part that upset you the most?”

“No.” Rey frowned. “The most upsetting part is just everyone. Leia insists that I can learn the Force Ghost connection, that she just _knows_ I can do it. Poe thinks I’m too fragile, in some ways, to go anywhere. The other Resistance members don’t understand the Force very well, and some of them seem to go out of their way to avoid me. They all think they know me. But I’m starting to think that no one does.” Rey pulled her legs to her chest, looking down at the bed.

“But I do.”

He said it so quietly, she wasn’t sure he had actually said it at first. Her eyes flicked up to meet his immediately. His stare was intense, and Rey felt her breath catch in her throat. They stayed this way for a moment before she finally looked back down at the bed.

“I suppose you do.” She said just as quietly.

Ben cleared his throat a minute later. “Anyways, your momentary lack of shields did give me quite the intel just now.”

Rey’s eyes widened. What could he have gotten from her? Was it something important, that he could use against the Resistance? She was suddenly worried that he had somehow gleaned the location of their base. She had always been careful not to think the name of the planet when he was around, just in case he managed to break through. Not that she had felt him try much in the last year. She looked at him, waiting for him to deal the blow. He had one of his infuriating smirks plastered on his face.

“I’ll remember to smirk more in your presence. I didn’t realize you liked it so much.”

Rey felt her cheeks get uncomfortably hot, but she laughed at him. “Get out of here, you silver tongue!”

She threw her pillow at him. Ben instinctively put his arms up to block it, but the Force pulled him away before it could pass through him. She hadn't _actually_ wanted him to go. Rey realized he had the beginnings of a smile on his face just before he left, but as usual, it seemed to stop before his eyes. She sighed, wondering just how much more complicated things would get. And she hadn’t even asked him about the Emperor!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this week, grad school is kicking my butt! I've currently got plans for a longer chapter next week though! Fingers crossed my workload lightens up a bit haha

Kylo Ren took a steadying breath. He stood just outside the conference room on the _Steadfast_. He knew that all of the officers, including Hux, were already there waiting for him. His temper would easily get the best of him in this room, with all of these people who seemed to be experts at aggravating him. But, he was quite aware that while his abilities with the Force kept him in the highest power, his extreme bouts of anger didn’t hurt either.

Kylo stepped into the room, and the conversations previously bouncing around the room seemed to have died in their throats. He raised an eyebrow at them.

“Don’t stop on my account. I was under the impression there were more important things than idle gossip to talk about.” He said as he walked around the table to his chair. “Such as, the fact that we have a spy among us. The civilian informant who received information from this spy has been terminated. However, the spy has yet to come forward.” Kylo could sense a cloud of nervousness from his right.

“General Hux, you seem uneasy. Do you have anything you wish to tell us?” Kylo asked calmly.

Implying that Hux could be the spy was sure to bring Kylo a modicum of entertainment. Hux was far too loyal to the First Order to betray them, Kylo knew, but it would be humorous nonetheless to watch his reaction. And Kylo truly wasn’t disappointed as he watched Hux sputter and grasp for words.

“You aren’t suggesting that _I-_ “ Hux cleared his throat. “Actually, Supreme Leader, my concern lies more with your own reaction. I am surprised by how… calm… you seem to be about such important information leaking to the enemy.”

Hux had him there. Kylo supposed that he could share a small amount of his true plans with them. The parts that didn’t suggest he was anything other than completely loyal to the First Order.

“Ah, yes. You see, this actually works quite well to our advantage. By leaking this information to the Resistance, our little spy has done us a favor. I can confirm that the scavenger has left the hidden Resistance base. It will only be a matter of time before she is spotted and captured.”

Okay, so maybe he wasn’t _completely_ certain that Rey was leaving the planet because of the leaked information about Palpatine, but what other reason would she have for suddenly leaving the base after a year?

“However, this does not mean that this spy can be allowed any mercy. They are a traitor to our cause, and an example must be made. In addition to your current responsibilities, you will all be weeding through your troops to find this spy. However not many people know of the events on Exegol, and the majority of them sit in this very room.”

Kylo Ren slowly roved his eyes over everyone in the room, watching them gulp in nervousness when they made eye contact. He hid his surprise when his gaze stopped on a woman who had a different kind of wariness on her face, like she wished to say something. Kylo kept his gaze on her, waiting for her to spit whatever it was out, and he watched her cheeks redden slightly before she did so.

“Sir, I wonder if we can truly believe all that the Emperor said to you? How do we know if what he has promised will actually be fulfilled upon delivery of the Jedi girl?” She spoke confidently, but without challenging Kylo’s authority.

Kylo debated on how to answer. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted Palpatine to be telling the truth. Having the Emperor’s fleet meant an essential victory over the entire galaxy and death to any remaining defiance. But was that truly ‘winning?’ Was that what he wanted anymore? And what exactly did Palpatine want with Rey, anyways? He didn’t seem like the affectionate patriarch type, Kylo was certain of that. Would this information about Rey’s lineage lead to her own destruction?

Silence had stretched on for a moment, with everyone watching Kylo with bated breaths. That is, until a man decided to open his mouth.

He sneered at the woman. “You insolent little girl! How dare you question the power of our Su-“

He couldn’t finish his sentence, however, due to the fact that Kylo had just thrown him to the ceiling of the room. Kylo hadn’t even blinked, and his hands hadn’t moved from where they sat clasped together on the table top. The man dropped with a loud thud, and Kylo began examining his hands in disinterest. Kriff, he hated misogyny.

“That’s no way to speak to a lady, officer. We are all entitled to our doubts and opinions. No need to get nasty about it.” He paused, standing and moving towards the door. “We do not know the Emperor’s motives. We do know this, however: Sith deal in absolutes. We shall see what he intends to become of the girl, and what that means for the Future of the First Order. For now, find the scavenger, find the spy.”

And with that, he swept out of the room, his cloak flowing behind him.

* * *

Once back in the safety of his private quarters, he allowed himself to relax finally and sat at his table. Once he had reached the hallway before his door, he had felt the telltale signs that Rey would be appearing soon. Their last encounter had ended on the highest note yet, he had _flirted_ with her. And it had been effortless. He hadn’t been aware that he could even do such a thing, and the words had fallen from his mouth before he had truly processed them. Would their next encounter be awkward because of his words?

He supposed he was about to find out because he looked up and saw Rey sitting just across from him, rifling through one of Luke’s journals. She didn’t look up at him, or say anything, but he was certain she knew he was there. He let out a puff of frustrated air when they had sat there in silence for so long.

“Rey.”

“Yes, Silver Tongue?” She responded without looking up at him, still flipping through the book.

He looked at her incredulously. “Is that what you’re calling me now?” He raised an eyebrow at her when she finally looked up at him.

She wore a small grin on her face. “Yes, I think it quite suits you. When you’re in the proper mood, that is.”

He decided to ignore that for now. “Rey. There is something I must tell you. But I feel that it is something to say in person.” Kylo said to her.

Rey looked confused for a moment before smiling again. “You’re not about to profess your undying love for me, are you?”

“N-no!” Kylo felt his face heat up, from his neck to the tips of his ears. In love with Rey? Was it possible? Sure. Their bond created strange feelings between them. But, he didn’t know what love _felt_ like, let alone what it was to be _in_ love with someone. He cleared his throat. “It’s about your parents. About your family, really.”

Kylo watched her smile fall before she responded. “They were nobody, Ben. We’ve been through this. I’d prefer not to do it again, thanks.” She looked back down at the book.

“No, this is different. I know where you got your power from, or rather, who.”

He saw a flash of hurt cross her face, but he couldn’t fathom why that would upset her. She craved a family. Wouldn’t she be happy to know of a relative, and that her power hadn’t just manifested from nowhere? That she had inherited it? He didn’t have much time though, because he felt the Force tugging her away from him yet again.

“Enough, Ben. I don’t want to talk about it.” She said, looking up at him, her eyes big and pleading.

He sighed. “This is important, Rey. I must tell you it, sooner or later. It will change everything. You’ll see. I offered you my hand once. The next time I offer it, I know that you’ll take it.”

And then she was gone.


End file.
